bg26.2 & half marathon and bg6000

• Boston Marathon qualifying USATF Certified Course

  • The course starts (and finishes) at the Bowling Green Ballpark and runs a 13.1 mile loop through historic downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky and the beautiful campus of Western Kentucky University. All proceeds from the bg26.2 & half marathon go to the National MS Society in memory of Susan B. Riherd.  All finishers will receive a finisher's medal along with post-race refreshments. Post-race stretches and massages will be available.
    
  •  Start time for the bg26.2 & half marathon is 7:00 a.m. Central Time.

    • Marathoners will run the course twice

    • There will be 5 checkpoints on the course that all marathon runners must past and 2 checkpoints for the half marathoners. 

    • If registered as a marathoner and only run one loop (13.1 mile), when crossing the finish line you will be a DNF.

• Event Categories

  • Marathon
  • Half Marathon
  • 6k (bg6000)
  • There is a 6 hour time limit on the race.
    • Marathon participants must maintain a 14:00min/mi pace or reach the halfway point of the course [mi 13.1] within 3 hours. There will not be any course support or police service/protection after the 6 hour mark. There will not be any course support after 1pm.
      

• EXPO & PIZZA HUT PASTA DINNER

  • Packet pick-up, the expo, and pasta dinner will be held on Saturday, October 31st at Bowling Green Ballpark from 5 - 7pm.
  • RACE DAY PACKET PICKUP - Sunday, November 1st  6:00-6:30am @ BG Ballpark Concession Window (no packets will be given out after 6:30am)
  • The pasta dinner is free to each paid participant. Guest may purchase $3 tickets at the door.

• Course Information:

  • Map and printable turn-by-turn instructions are available here: Race Maps

• Water Stations:

                  There are 8 water stations along the course. Water will be first at the stop and Gatorade will be last. Water will be available at the 2 first aid stops and at the specialty stations.

• No Strollers or Dogs on the course :

           The bg26.2 & half marathon complies with the recommendations of the RRCA since the bg26.2 & half marathon is an RRCA sanctioned event.  The RRCA strongly recommends against the use of baby strollers/joggers by participants in road races if the child does not meet the age restriction outlined for the event.  The bg26.2 & half marathon including the bg6000 will follow the RRCA guidelines and not permit strollers on the course.  Since the bg26.2 is an open course, no roads are closed and parts of the course are limited to a bike lane, we feel that this could allow for a potential dangerous situation.

 

Things to keep in mind out on the course...

The bg26.2 is an open course with the exception of the coned lanes of UNIVERSITY BLVD, FAIRVIEW AVENUE, KENTUCKY STREET and ADAMS STREET. Please keep in mind that the side streets will be accessible and cars will be entering and exiting. Running with Headphones? We suggest the bg26.2 "one-ear" policy: Leave your left ear free. Please, no unauthorized cyclist.  Due to insurance regulations and request from the BGPD, we cannot allow bicycles on the course unless they are official race crew bg26.2 cyclists.  All official race crew bg26.2 cyclists will be wearing orange vests.  Contact person for cyclist race crew is Randy Hansbrough.

 

Bibs MUST be visible at ALL times and placed on the front!

Important information about your bib: Placement of your bib on the front is important for accurate timing. Spotters need to see your bib as you cross the finish line. The photographers on the course will use your bib number to associate pictures with your name. If you want to receive the free download with your race day pictures, please attach your bib to the FRONT and it must be completely visible. They use "human taggers" and if they can't read your bib number, you won't get your free download!!

• AWARDS

  • Awards for overall finishers are determined by gun times, chip times will be used to determine other award winners.

  • There will not be an awards ceremony. Look for the bg26.2 awards tent on the concourse area to claim your award.  Bluegrass Timing will update the results board so check it to see if you are eligible for an award.

  • Marathon

    • 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards to bg26.2 male & female finishers
    • Overall awards to:

      • Masters male & female (40-49)

      • Grandmasters male/female (50 and over)

    • Awards for 1st thru 3rd place age group winners
      • Age groups for the marathon are:

        • 16-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-69 | 70 & over

        • The minimum age requirement for the bg26.2 is 16 years old.

  • Half Marathon

    • 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards to Half Marathon male/female finishers
    • Overall awards to:

      • Masters male/female (40-49)

      • Grandmasters male/female (50 and over)

    • Awards for 1st thru 3rd place age group winners
      • Age groups for the half marathon are:

        • 12-15 | 16-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-69 | 70 & over

        • The minimum age requirement for the half marathon is 12 years old                                                            

  • bg6000

    The bg6000 is 6k race through downtown Bowling Green, or perhaps it’s a 5K with a bonus K at the end. No matter how you look at it, the bg6000 presents a unique and fun challenge. The bg6000 course starts the same place as the marathon and half marathon.  Start time for the bg6000 is 7:15 a.m. Central Time.

• • Awards for the bg6000
    Overall Male/Female finisher
    1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place in the following age groups:9 and under | 10-13 | 14-19 | 20-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-69 | 70 & over
  •                                        

• • RRCA Southern Region Marathon Championship event 

    • Awards will be given to overall male and female open, masters (40-49), grand masters (50-59), and senior grand masters (60+) in the bg26.2 marathon and will be awarded per the age categories listed, i.e. if you are in the 60+ age group but finish before a runner in another age group, you will receive the award according to your age.

 

•       bgKIDS

•  
  • The bgKIDS26.2 fun run will take place Saturday, October 31st at Bowling Green Ballpark. Participants will run two laps around the concourse at Bowling Green Ballpark for a total distance of one kilometer. All participants will receive a finisher's medal and Mr B's Pizza.   Start time for the bgKIDS is 4:00 p.m. Central Time.     

            PARKING

                      Free parking is available at the Stadium Park Plaza parking garage adjacent to Bowling Green Ballpark where the race events including the expo and packet pickup will be held. The map below shows other nearby parking options as well. Note that some lots in downtown Bowling Green are private parking lots and are not free . Be careful to make sure that where you park is free, or the local towing company will tow your vehicle. Taking advantage of free public parking at the Stadium Park Plaza parking structure or BGMU parking lot is encouraged.

• No Refunds

  • bg26.2 & Half Marathon does not offer refunds for any event. All event registrations are final. This includes duplicate registrations. Please double check before signing up again.

• Transfers / Deferrals

  • Transfers (to a different race) and deferrals (to the next year) can be completed by the registrant in their RunSignUp race dashboard. A fee will apply. Please note that only ONE transfer or deferral per single registration.  Registrant can only defer one time .  Last date for transfers or deferrals is October 15, 2026.
  • For any questions, please email [email protected].

Support the Race to Beat MS - Become a Sponsor

Your company/organization can support this one-of-a-kind community event and its efforts to ‘move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis,’ which is the stated goal of the beneficiary organization, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.          

Sponsorship Letter